The collection contains mostly photocopies documenting research done by Edwin R. Ambrose while working on catalog descriptions of Martha's Vineyard Museum's logbook collections and a series of articles regarding Martha's Vineyard and its whaling history.

Preferred Citation

Acquisition Information

These materials were produced by Edwin R. Ambrose during his time as a volunteer at the Martha's Vineyard Museum and therefore were not processed as a donation. The materials were presumably donated by his wife or family sometime around his death in 2009.

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Biography/Historical Note

Edwin R. Ambrose was born on July 23, 1928, in Syracuse, New York, the oldest of three children. His family moved to Detroit, Michigan, when he was the age of 10. After high school graduation, He joined the Marines, stationed in Cherry Point, North Carolina, for the last year and a half of World War II. Following the Marines, he attended the University of Michigan, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in history in 1952. While living in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he met his wife, Nancy, and the two married in 1953. In 1959, Ed and Nancy and their three children, Robert, William, and Sarah, moved to Darien, Connecticut.

Ed began his business career as a salesman with Abex Corporation and remained with the company for over 35 years, last as a director of export and licensing. Most of these years were spent traveling around the world, with Japan and India among his most frequent destinations. He circled the world 37 times. In 1988, Ed and Nancy moved to Gaborone, Botswana. Ed had a contract with USAID, consulting with the Botswana Ministry of Commerce and Industry and writing speeches for the President of Botswana. After four years in Africa the couple retired to the Vineyard.

Ed volunteered for the Land Bank and the Martha’s Vineyard Museum. From 2000 to 2003, he was the Research Editor of the Dukes County Intelligencer at the Martha's Vineyard Museum. During that time, he wrote a series of articles about the whaling industry and how it affected life on Martha's Vineyard.

Ed loved sailing, owning many sailboats over his lifetime. His favorite was his first boat, the Willy Wisp, a Pearson/Alberg 35 that he sailed in Corinthian races on the Great Lakes as well as the East Coast. Ed was once a member of the Noroton Yacht Club and the Edgartown Yacht Club.

Scope and Content Note

The collection contains mostly photocopies documenting research done by Edwin R. Ambrose while working on catalog descriptions of Martha's Vineyard Museum's logbook collections and a series of articles regarding Martha's Vineyard and its whaling history. There are photocopies of logbooks, articles and excerpts about whaling history, clippings, and other materials related to the history of whaling and Martha's Vineyard.

Arrangement

The collection is loosely arranged by the following topics, and therein, alphabetically: